Where can I add a human approval step?#
Anywhere an agent speaks for you or spends money. Agent Studio ships approval in four places, and you choose how much runs on its own.
| Where | How the approval works | Set it in |
|---|---|---|
| Any agent step | A Branch reads an approval field; the true path runs the step, the false path returns for review | The builder |
| Social posts | Turn on Needs approval and the post waits in CRM Social for your yes | The social publish step |
| Critical reviews | AI drafts the reply; nothing posts until you press Post to Google or Post to Facebook | CRM Reputation |
| Affiliates | New signups from your affiliate form wait as pending until you press Approve | CRM Affiliates |
How do I build an approval gate into an agent?#
Put a Branch in front of the step that acts. Set Field to your approval key, tick Require truthy, and wire the step to the true output. The Review Responder template works exactly this way: approved reviews get a reply, and the rest return on an approval-required output.
Add an approval gate
Step 1: Open the Review Responder template
See a working gate: Input, Branch onOpen the templateapproved, the reply step, Slack Message, and a separate approval-required output.Step 2: Copy the pattern into your agent
Add a Branch before any step that sends, posts or spends. Point Field at the key that carries the approval.Step 3: Decide what the false path does
Return it on its own output, add a task for a reviewer, or post the draft to Slack for a thumbs-up.Step 4: Test both paths free
Branches run for real in dry runs. Press Run test once with approval on and once with it off.
How does an AI agent escalate to a human?#
It creates work your team cannot miss. In a CRM workflow, have a Claude step classify the situation, branch on the result, and hand the hard ones to a person with full context.
- Create Task assigns a call-back with a due time in hours or days, so nothing sits in an inbox.
- Add Note writes the agent's summary on the contact's timeline, so the person picking it up starts informed.
- Slack Message pings the channel your team already watches.
- Send Email to yourself works when the decision belongs to the owner.
What should make an agent escalate?#
Escalate on stakes, not on volume. Write these rules into the classifier step's prompt and route on its answer.
Refund or cancellation requests, a review of 3 stars or lower, a customer who replied twice without an answer, or any legal or safety language.
Leads that score at the top of your range, quotes above your set dollar amount, or a buyer asking for a custom contract.
Invoices still open a week after the reminder, failed payments on a subscription, or a customer disputing a charge.